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Leprosem Princeps
"Leprosem Princeps" 'is the sixth episode of ''Genesis, the tenth season, and the 170th episode overall. It was narrated by Katarina, airing on October 3, 2015. In the episode, the plagues are catapulted to international stardom when the Fourth Envoy is an international icon. The Episode LONDON, ENGLAND November 13, 2016 Preston and Chiara winced as Alistaire's jet touched down at a private landing strip in London. The pilot had wasted not even a second getting them there instantly. "I'm going to be so jet-lagged," Chiara said, "This is unfair." "We were both so off," Preston said, "with our predictions for the next location of the Envoy." Chiara laughed. "I said African grassland. You said the beaches of the Seychelles." "Yeah, and it was London. I should have known. Always the big cities." The plane door opened. Two men dressed in black suits entered. "Mr. Alcott. Ms. Chastain. Please come with us." They wordlessly followed. A black limousine awaited. Two Union Jacks were planted on the front. "Next stop," Preston whispered, "Buckingham Palace." BUCKINGHAM PALACE Alistaire looked outside. An enormous crowd of pedestrians, fanatics, and the press had gathered. The news that Prince George was ill had leaked. Prince William and Cate Middleton paced in front of their children's bedroom door. The Queen and the rest of the royal family sat behind them. Alistaire stood at the window, still incredulous he was here. The door opened and the Prime Minister entered. "The press needs a statement," he said, "We must give it. It's been hours." "No," Alistaire said, earning stares from Prince Charles and Philip, "We must wait for my specialists." "BBC," Cate Middleton said, ignoring Alistaire, "Get Inga Hawfield from BBC. I trust her to handle the story." The Prime Minister sent one of his aides to retrieve the reporter. Before the door could close, Preston and Chiara finally arrived. Preston gasped when he saw the royal family. If Chiara was as starstruck, she did not show it. She walked briskly to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. "Where is George?" she asked. "Inside," Cate said quietly. "He is the Fourth Envoy," Alistaire said. "Does everyone understand what the Envoy is?" Preston asked. The Queen of England stood. "We followed the advice of Mr. MacGuaire," she said, "We understand the gravity of the circumstances." Cate turned to Preston and Chiara. "George is only three," she whispered, "how can he be...Consumed?" Preston and Chiara didn't answer. Alistaire couldn't either. He stepped forward. "I think it's time they saw the boy." "Prince," Charles asserted. Alistaire tried not to roll his eyes. The inside of the bedroom was depressing. There was an overwhelming sense of solemnness. Melancholy and heartbreak. Prince George was closed in a plastic bubble. Princess Charlotte was in her crib. But neither child flinched or moved. Not even blinked. "Go ahead," Alistaire said behind Chiara, "Do your thing." Preston's breaths were shaky. "George?" Chiara said, trying to sound composed, but in truth, she was scared. George spoke in a deeper voice. Certainly not his own. '''"A sloppy kiss. A slimy hug. Try to pull. Try to tug. Bees and ants and fleas and slugs. A pestilence. A plague of bugs." Chiara sighed. "No plague has come yet," Alistaire said, "because he's in that bubble." "I don't think the bubble prevents anything, Starry," Chiara said, "to be completely honest." "Don't be absurd," Alistaire said, "Liam touched the Seine. Ava touched a glass of water that came from Lake Mead..." "But Yunqi was simply on an airplane," Preston said. Alistaire stepped forward. "He touched the air. The air he poisoned." "Don't say it like that," Preston said, angrily, "He had no control. Neither does George." "But if George wants to recite his Gospel, the only bugs he can bring are inside that bubble." "So you trapped him?" Chiara asked, "Are you crazy?" Preston pushed past them to move toward Charlotte's crib. "What about Charlotte? Why is she in here?" Alistaire shrugged. "No one said." "Charlotte?" Preston asked. Charlotte, only a year old, began mumbling. "Play go buzz." "Charlotte?" Preston said again. Chiara came over and leaned down to hear. "Pethel ins. Ap leg uvugs." "Pestilence," Chiara said, "A plague of bugs. She's Consumed too." "But not really," Preston said, "That's her own voice. She is not the Envoy. George is." The door opened and Prince William came in with Cate, the Queen, a woman with a camera and microphone, and lastly... "Sweet mercy..." Preston muttered next to Chiara. Pope Francis I entered, bowing his head. "This is Inga Hawfield from the BBC," Cate said to Preston, Chiara, and Alistaire, "She is going to take a picture with George and the Pontiff. That way, the public has their assurance the Prince will be okay." William looked up. "He will be okay...right?" "Yes," Preston said without really thinking about the answer. There was no guarantee George would be okay. Sure, none of the Envoys have died yet, but there was only so much Preston and Chiara could do. "Can I get a few words from the Pope?" Inga asked, shifting the microphone, "It'll record, but not broadcast live." Inga adjusted a few switches on the box attached to her backpack. She pointed at a red light. "If that flashes, it means it's broadcasting live. You have nothing to panic about if the light is off." The Pope nodded and positioned himself behind George. "I need to open the bubble," he said. Inga went to help. Preston tensed. The bubble was open... "My son," the Pope said, leaning down to the Prince's head, "I bless thee." Inga filmed with the camera. "George?" the Pope said. Preston felt his heart tighten. The trigger had been pulled. Chiara rushed forward. Preston followed. George shot upright. The Pope leapt back. Inga nearly dropped her camera. A red light began flashing as her elbow slipped. George recited his Gospel. On live television. And a swarm of bugs erupted out of the air. Preston and Chiara sealed George back in his bubble, but the bugs inside burst the plastic. The Queen ducked for cover with her children as the swarm expanded. The room's air was consumed by bugs. Somewhere, Alistaire shattered a window and the bugs flew out. The Fourth Plague had arrived. And, for the first time, the whole world saw. DAY THREE Preston, Chiara, and Alistaire watched silently as the news coverage on the Fourth Plague swelled. "The insect plague," the news reporter said, "has spread across southern England and Wales. As of yet, it has not breached the Irish or Scottish borders. But as we saw three days ago exclusively on this network, it appears Prince George is responsible for the onset of..." Chiara changed the channel. "...receiving word that what Prince George said is called a Gospel. We heard this from inside Buckingham Palace this past Sunday..." Preston snatched the remote. "This can prove," a scientist was saying, "beyond the shadow of a doubt that extraterrestrial life exists." "Or supernatural life," another scientist said. "Or God," the news reporter said. The channel changed. "We are now under the assumption that the blood in France, the frogs in Nevada, and the lice in China may all be connected, linking back to the biblical plagues in the Book of Exodus." Click. "...an Envoy. This is, once again, coming from inside Buckingham Palace. Prince George is an Envoy. Here is raw footage of him reciting his Gospel." The image cut to Prince George bringing the plague of bugs. Chiara sighed. "Some speculate," the news reporter continued, "that there may be three other Envoys to match the other three plagues." "Damnit," Chiara said, "It's gone international." "And so far," Preston said, "No one knows anything more than we do." "And we hardly know anything," Alistaire grunted. He pointed to a bulletin board on the wall. Only three scraps of paper were tacked up. "Prince George was Consumed in the gardens of his home at Anmer Hall," Alistaire recited, "so he must have seen a Burning Bush. His Consumption was broadcasted internationally and we now face public recognition..." "And the Envoys may be found," Preston said, "We need to get them somewhere safe." Alistaire raised a finger. "I have an idea about that." He pointed to the second paper on the board; a stone castle. "Scotland Loch," Alistaire said, "The Scot for short. My private castle. That is where we'll send the Envoys." "It's secure?" Chiara asked. "More than Preston's Fort Knox." Preston nodded. "Thanks, Starry." Alistaire frowned. "I wish you'd stop with that nickname." Preston ignored him. "The bugs," Chiara said, "are vast in species. Bees, wasps, ants, caterpillars, fleas..." "But not lice or locusts," Preston said, "Those are separate." "Cicadas too," Alistaire said, "They're burrowing in the ground. England might have a rough year in 17 years when those cicadas hatch." "IF they hatch," Preston corrected, "They might disappear with the rest of them." There was a knock at the door. Chiara opened it. Pope Francis bowed his head and entered. "I have heard of your theories," he said, "and I'm grateful for your efforts and dedication to this predicament." "Thank you, Father," Preston said. He realized quickly that Chiara and Alistaire had no religious standing with the Pope. They did not really care who he was. "I hope you will maintain your devotion to God," the Pope said, "for it is He who brings these troubles. And it is He who will lead us to salvation." "Those are kind words, Father," Chiara said cordially. Preston was taken aback. Chiara was not afraid to debate evolution with a Catholic, but speak politely with the Pope? Maybe the Plagues had changed her. "Yeah yeah," Alistaire said, "Whatever. There isn't a God to help us. So get out and let us science this shit." Preston closed his eyes and shook his head. Starry was still Starry. "Father," Preston said as the Pope neared the doorway, "What do you think is happening? These plagues, I mean? What do you think they're here for?" The Pope smiled. "To lead us out of bondage." He closed the door. DAY SIX Chiara woke up Preston early so they could sit with George until the end of his Consumption. Prince William and Cate Middleton had not left their side. Princess Anne and the Queen were also present. Chiara swatted a bee from her face. Preston slammed his shoe down on a swarm of termites. Big Ben struck 9:00. Prince George opened his eyes. "Plague Four is shared. The Gospel of Air." He turned and upchucked dead bugs. Cate shrieked and stuck out her own hands to catch the vomit. But the bugs had disappeared before they even touched her skin. In her crib, Princess Charlotte stirred like a normal infant. Chiara let out a sigh of relief. "Is it over?" William asked. "Yes," Chiara said, "His Consumption is over, but the plagues will continue. Tomorrow is the Sabbath. But Sunday begins anew." "How do you do this?" Cate asked, "How can you go around the world watching families destruct as they are helpless to save their child?" "Because someone has to protect the Envoys," Preston said. Chiara looked down. There was a time two weeks ago when she was in this for the science. For the phenomena that could not be explained. But she was quickly realizing that there was no explanation. There was no solution. No sum or quotient. But the Envoys were still in danger. Especially now that their story was out. Prescott had been right; the Envoys were the top priority. Queen Elizabeth stood. She took Preston and Chiara's hands in her own. "You must find that Fifth Envoy. And protect them like you did George. You saved our country. And you will save more." "Our world is getting ripped apart," William said, "No denying it. You and the older fellow are the protectors of the Earth." Chiara was moved. She embraced Cate. "Find the next one," she whispered, "Find the Fifth Envoy before it's too late for them." "I will," Chiara said meaningfully, "I will." ANNA CREEK STATION, AUSTRALIA ONE DAY LATER; THE SABBATH Eion McCreery, one of the dairy farmers at Anna Creek Station in Australia yawned in the morning sun and walked outside to feed the cows. He draped the cow feed over his shoulder and walked clumsily to the barn. He slid open the door and flopped the feed bag on the ground. "Breakfast," he muttered. It wasn't until he filled the troughs and adjusted his hat that he realized the entire herd of cows had been slaughtered the night before. The Fifth Plague had begun. Production Continuity and Story Arcs Preston and Chiara met Alistaire and the royal family at Buckingham Palace where Prince George had been Consumed as the Fourth Envoy. His sister, Princess Charlotte, had residual Consumption. When a reporter tried to take a picture of Prince George and the Pope, the Plague began and she accidentally recorded the event live. The whole world watched as the Plague descended, leading to the terms "Gospel," "Consumption," and "Envoy" being released. Alistaire proposed gathering the existing Envoys and sending them to his private castle (The Scot) for safe keeping. The Plague of Bugs does not include lice or locusts, because they are separate. Prince George's Consumption ended with "Plague Four is shared. The Gospel of Air." In Australia, at the largest cattle farm in the world, the fifth plague began. References Many members of the royal family and English government make appearances in this episode: The Queen, Prince Philip, Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, the Duke William of Cambridge, Duchess Cate Middleton of Cambridge, and the Prime Minister. A reporter from BBC accidentally records Prince George's delivery of the Plague. Trivia *"Leprosum Princeps" is Latin for "Stricken Leader." **Producers mispelled the Latin on the episode title card and website. *When Cate Middleton deems Preston, Chiara, and Alistaire as "the protectors of the Earth," it is a reference to the song "Protectors of the Earth" by Two Steps from Hell. *When producers decided to include a celebrity as the Fourth Envoy, Prince George was the first one on their list and no other options were created. However, the first episode was supposed to take place in London. Producers moved London to this episode and changed the location of the first episode to Paris, France. Category:Episodes Category:Genesis Episodes